Lancaster ED759 damaged by flak(?), returned to Breighton airfield.
On 1st May 1943 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Essen and took off from Breighton airfield at 00.10hrs. The target was bombed at 03.19hrs on the pathfinder marking flares from 16,500ft. After bombing the aircraft climbed to 18,000ft but was thrown onto its back after bombing (possibly as a result of an explosion below or by flak bursts), the bomb doors suffered some slight damage and after the aircraft had lost 16,500ft of height the pilot re-gained control and made a safe return to Breighton and land there at 05.40hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Lionel James Christensen RAAF (415100).
Navigator - F/O Richard Hubert Chadwick RAFVR (130606).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Peter A Moore RAF.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt W C Hart RAF.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Kenneth William Hewitt RAFVR (1426641).
Air Gunner - Sgt R J Woolford.
Air Gunner - Sgt J F Shaughnessy RAF.
Kenneth Hewitt was the son of William Buxton and Jessie Florence Hewitt, of Cricklewood, Middlesex. For service with 460 Squadron he was awarded the DFM, Gazetted on 21st April 1944. Kenneth received a commission on 18th August 1944 (183777) and was later posted to 582 Squadron. On 23rd December 1944 he was flying in Lancaster PB141 and undertaking Ops to Cologne when the aircraft was badly damaged by fighters. He was killed but the rest of his then crew survived to become PoWs. He was twenty four years old and is buried in Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. I credit the "Heverlee War Cemetery WW1 & WW2" group on Facebook with the photograph of his gravestone.
Lionel Christensen was born on 14th October 1914 in Fremantle, Western Australia and enlisted into the RAAF in Perth. He was awarded the DFM for service with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th October 1943.
Richard Chadwick received a commission on 11th September 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation and rose to F/O on probation on 11th March 1943. He was awarded the DFC for service with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th October 1943. He was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 11th September 1944. It is possible that he later worked for the British European Airways Corporation in the 1950s as a navigation officer.
Of those listed above, Christensen, Chadwick, Moore, Hart, Hewitt and Shaughnessy were flying in Lancaster JA688 on 25th/26th July 1943 when it was damaged on Ops to Essen and crashed at Hawkinge on the return. Some of the crew were injured but all survived.
The Sgt Woolford listed above may well have been a Sgt Reginald John Woolford RAFVR (1323920) and if so then he must have been posted to 12 Squadron soon after this incident with 460 Squadron in May 1943, he first flew operationally with 12 Squadron on 12th/13th May 1943. On 28th July 1943 he was flying in Lancaster EE142 on Ops to Hamburg when the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter with the loss of all but the rear gunner. He was twenty one years old and is buried in Sage War Cemetery, Germany.
Lancaster ED759 was built to contract B.69274/40 by A.V.Roe and Co. Ltd. at Chadderton. It was taken on charge by 460 Squadron at Breighton as new on 25th March 1943. As a result of the damage sustained on 1st May 1943 Cat.A/FB damage was the assessment and it was repaired on site. On 30th May 1943 it crashed on Ops to Wuppertal that saw the seven man crew killed. Cat.Em damage was recorded and it was struck off charge on 31st May 1943 having clocked up just 64 hours flying time from new.